Outlaw Star: Distant Star Era

The Universe is much bigger and far stranger than originally thought...

Shiltolvian

A genetically modified race based on Silgrian and SaurianDNA, originally bred and released onto Archaeopteryx IV. The Shiltolvian (shill-tol-vee-an) species was genetically engineered by the Kogyo Combine, a Megacorporation of far reaching influence, with the goal of breeding the ultimate soldier. They combined Silgrian and Saurian DNA, hoping to combine the regeneration and brute strength of a Saurian with the size, speed, and metabolic efficiency of the Silgrians. It didn't work as well as they'd hoped.

Biology

Instead of breeding a race of enormous keen-eyed killing machines, the Shiltolvians wound up being much smaller than either species, with the largest standing at no more than 1.2 meters (4 feet). And despite their speed and agility, their ferociously sharp teeth and claws, and incredible leaping ability, Shiltolvians tend to be comparatively brittle, and the average Terran could easily rip off the limbs of a Shiltolvian with some applied force.

Fortunately[?], Shiltolvians are capable of regenerating at a rate much faster than the Saurians, sometimes within scant minutes. Unfortunately, this feat requires an enormous consumption of food, far more than a creature three times their mass. Shiltolvian vision is notably extremely poor, for which they compensate with a heightened sense of smell and taste. The mixing of more brutal Saurian tendencies to be predatory and the more pacifistic Silgrian tendecies for order makes the Shiltolvian pathology fairly…erratic. Neurosis pervades; many Shiltolvians demonstrate homicidal blood rage, extreme sadomasochism, crippling obssessiveness, and oftentimes a charming combination of the three. Because of this, Shiltolvians are generally seen as…unpleasant to be around.

Abandoned on the high-gravity world of Archaeopteryx IV it was widely believed that the self-destructive psychological quirks would cause the "shills" would die out within a generation. To the horror of many they found that not only did the shiltolvians come to prosper and thrive — they also found religion.

Relevant Shiltolvians

Captain Kokotl, or "Koko": a beloved khalef and respected bureaucrat of the Kogyo Combine.

Iztlactli, or "Izzy": a famous Shiltovian tlamatini, or scientist, who is definitely, absolutely dead and it was very tragic and a great loss.